Waltham, Mass. (4/20/13) – The Lasell College baseball team split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference doubleheader with the Lions of Emerson College. Lasell won the opener 7-2, before failing to the Lions in game two by an identical 7-2 score. After the split Lasell stands at 12-19 overall for the 2013 season and 8-8 in GNAC games while Emerson moved to 2-25 for the year and 2-12 in league tilts.
Game One:
Lasell picked up a 7-2 victory in the first game of the day behind a strong outing from junior Eric Howard (Newton, Mass.) and some timely hitting. Howard earned the complete game victory, throwing all seven innings and allowing two runs while scattering seven hits and two walks on the evening and striking out five. Matt Sammarco (New Canaan, Conn.) was 2 for 3 in the game with a single, double, RBI and two runs scored for Lasell.
James Sullivan (Medfield, Mass.) was the lone Emerson player to record multiple hits in the game, finishing with a single, a double and a run scored in three at-bats. Conor McDonough (Hanson, Mass.) took the loss on the hill for Emerson, yielding six runs, four earned on six hits and two walks in four and a third innings of work. Julian Rifkind (Brooklyn, N.Y.) relieved for the Lions, limiting Lasell to one run on one hit through the final inning and two thirds of the game.
Bobby Ellard (Medfield, Mass.) reached on a one-out walk in the bottom of the second inning for Lasell, and Sammarco followed with a single giving Lasell a pair of baserunners. A groundout moved the two runners to second and third with one out, and both Sammarco and Ellard scored when Rob Madden (Hingham, Mass.) reached on an error to prolong the inning and put Lasell in front 2-0.
Jonah Francese (Sharon, Mass.) opened the top of the third with a single, and moved to third on a double by Sullivan to put runners on second and third with nobody out for Emerson. An RBI groundout by Johnny Hansey (Manahawkin, N.J.) helped Emerson trim the lead to 2-1. A walk to Cal Ciarcia (Dennis, Mass.) put runners on the corners with gave Emerson runners on the corners with two outs. Ciarcia attempted to steal second base, and was caught for the third out of the inning, but Sullivan came in to score while Ciarcia was caught in a run-down between first and second base.
Lasell went in front for good in the bottom of the fourth inning when Bobby Stachura (Middletown, Conn.) opened the inning with a double, and eventually scoring when a one out double off the bat of Sammarco drove him in. Sammarco came in to score on an RBI groundout by Madden to put Lasell in front 4-2.
A walk by Corey Michel (Rochester, N.H.) and a single by Billy Uberti (Newton, Mass.) gave Lasell runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Lasers picked up two more runs when Michel scored on a passed ball that allowed Uberti to move up to second and then score on a single by Stachura to push their lead to 6-2.
The Lasers tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Dustin Brown (Falmouth, Mass.) drove Madden home with a sacrifice fly, and Lasell held on for a 7-2 victory.
Game Two:
The Lasers dropped the second game of the doubleheader 7-2 at the hands of Emerson College.
Jacob Salkovitz (Brockton, Mass.) had a triple, single and two runs batted in to lead the Lasell offense, as the Lasers also got a pair of singles from Matt Sammarco. Rob Madden started for Lasell, going four innings and allowing six runs, three earned on six hits and three walks while taking the loss. Jake Malone (Harwich, Mass.) threw three innings in relief, yielding one run on three hits while recording three strikeouts.
Cal Ciarcia had a single and a double to pace the Lions, and Jim Cain (Wakefield, Mass.) and Conor McDonough chipped in a pair of runs batted in apiece. Brandon Topp (Andover, Mass.) went the distance on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while earning the complete game victory.
After a scoreless first three innings Emerson broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning. Zach Dean (Vero Beach, Fla.) reached on an error to open the inning and Ciarcia doubled giving the visitors runners on second and third with nobody out. A walk loaded the bases, and Dean came in to score on a single to give Emerson a 1-0 lead. After a strikeout for the first out of the inning, a walk forced in a run and a single by McDonough scored two to give Emerson a 4-0 advantage. Cain followed later in the inning with a two-out single to make it 6-0 through three and a half innings.
Lasell threatened in the bottom of the fourth, but stranded a pair of runners and were unable to get on the board.
Emerson added a run in the top of the sixth inning, leaving the hosts trailing 7-0 after five and a half innings.
The Lasers mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh, using a pair of walks and a two-run triple by Salkovitz to cut the deficit 7-2 but Lasell was unable to get any closer, falling to Emerson.
Lasell will close their regular season on Sunday afternoon with a non-conference doubleheader against Massachusetts Maritime Academy beginning at noon.